


A Note to You

by Assbutt_in_a_trenchcoat



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Mild One, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 03:27:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16526447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Assbutt_in_a_trenchcoat/pseuds/Assbutt_in_a_trenchcoat
Summary: Ahhh! Hi, this is my first fic in a long time, and my first VLD one! This was written for NaNoWriMo, but it took me like 4 days to get this out because I'm so out of practice. Please let me know how I can approve! Hope you enjoy this silly little fic :)





	A Note to You

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh! Hi, this is my first fic in a long time, and my first VLD one! This was written for NaNoWriMo, but it took me like 4 days to get this out because I'm so out of practice. Please let me know how I can approve! Hope you enjoy this silly little fic :)

_I had to serve a latte to a 6-year-old today. They were very intimidating. -L_

Keith smirked softly as he found the newest sticky note, this time stuck to a bottle of nearly empty soy milk in the fridge. Folding it carefully, he slid it into the pocket of his apron and grabbed the carton to get started on the cappuccino.

The notes had started about a month after Keith got the job at The Castle of Lions, a small coffee shop on his college campus. It had been a hard shift, and he had slid a note to his manager Pidge during the rush that simply said _$10 if you kill me now._ They had snorted and stuck the note up on the wall before rinsing out the blender, with no other remark. Keith closed that night, and was shocked when he came back the next afternoon to find a blue sticky note stuck over that one that read _Mood -L._ He immediately wrote one back, asking about crazy customer stories. Slowly the notes became more frequent and hidden, and Keith sometimes found more than one during a shift.

“One soy caramel cappuccino for Rolo!” Passing the drink off to its owner, he turned to Pidge as they wiped down the counter.

“Don’t even ask,” they interrupted before he got a chance to open his mouth.

Keith huffed, “How do you make the schedule but not have any idea who L could be?”

They sent a glare towards him. “I never said I didn’t know. I’m just not getting in the middle of it. You’ve been leaving him notes for three months, how have you not figured it out yet.”

Keith’s ears, and heart, perked up, “Him?”

Pidge rolled their eyes, not acknowledging their slipup as a customer walked up and ordered. They turned back to him while passing him a cup, “Anyways, if you’re so interested, why not ask to meet up? I’m sure you would get along great. Hot chocolate, venti. Extra whip.”

Shrugging as he started prepping the drink, Keith felt a familiar flush creep up onto his neck. He _wanted_ to. Hell, sometimes the best part about his day was coming in to find the newest note left to him. And now that he knew L was a _guy_ …

He shoved the thoughts back until the end of shift. He felt the note in his pocket and took a deep breath before grabbing a pad, scribbling out his number as well as _Tell me more about this intimidating latte child? -K_. He stuck it up on the wall beside the schedule, not letting himself acknowledge that it was out in plain sight instead of hiding.

Two days passed with Keith nervously checking his phone so often that Shiro threatened to lock it in his room during their study session. There hadn’t been any more notes at work since he left his number, and Keith felt his anxiety clawing in his throat as he made his way to an early shift. He tried his best not to take it personally, but it felt like he had freaked L out. He couldn’t help but wonder if L had found out who he was and thrown the note away.

He shook his head to clear his negative thoughts and opened the door to the shop, calling out to the empty store, “Coran! It’s just me! I’m here a little early!” He set his bags down and started to pull his hair into a ponytail before he heard a small clatter from the storage room.

A tall man that was NOT the owner stumbled out, cursing in Spanish, “Hostia puta! Cajas estúpidas pueden irse a la mierda. Shit, Keith you scared me. I didn’t think anyone else was coming in this morning when Matt called out. Since when do you work mornings?”

Keith paused in the door, his hands stilled in his own hair as he stared at the man, hair tie still in his mouth. The man had caramel brown skin, a few darker freckles poking through. The most shocking thing was his eyes, a deep azure that seemed to reflect what little light was inside the coffee shop. The man’s nametag read “Lance,” and Keith’s heart jumped at the thought that this might be L. He felt his face flush and he ducked his head to hide his face as he finished tying his hair up, “Um, Pidge asked me to come in this morning? Am I supposed to be training you? You’re new, right?”

Lance frowned, his arms crossing, “Come on, man! It’s me, Lance?” When Keith stared blankly, he huffed, “We worked together when you first started? We were rivals? I teased you about your mullet, which I see you still have.”

Keith frowned, his hackles raising slightly, “Oh, I vaguely remember you. You’re the one who flirts with all the customers.”

Lance’s face fell slightly before he grinned and flexed one arm, “What can I say? They love the Ladies Man.”

Keith rolled his eyes and threw his stuff in the break room, “Whatever you say, Lance. What’s the plan?”

“I’m finishing up stocking. Can you start prep?”

 By the time the store opened, Keith was in his rhythm, his thoughts about L pushed back but not gone. He and Lance swapped out between register and drinks, working quietly around each other, which he appreciated. Keith watched him throughout the day, in awe at how easily he connected with people. Lance seemed to take the attention no matter what position he was in. He flirted and connected with customers, making up for Keith’s quiet demeanor. He could feel Lance looking over at him every so often, as if to check he was still there.

Keith felt himself getting more and more jittery as the day wore on. He found himself looking for more sticky notes, and every time he opened a cabinet or drawer and didn’t find one his anxiety jumped a notch. He wasn’t even going to entertain the disappoint that pooled up every time he failed to fine a note. It didn’t help when he was on counter. The people coming in to order seemed to notice he was on edge, setting out to do whatever they could to annoy him. Especially the woman and screaming child in front of him now. She all but threw her cash at him after he rang her up, pushing Keith over. He handed back her change before snatching a cup, “Lance, venti mint moch- “

A hand caught his wrist- _fuck when did he start shaking_ \- and Lance’s voice came soft, like he was scared to startle Keith, “Hey, I got it for a minute, go ahead and take your break.”

Keith gritted his teeth and snatched his wrist back, willing his voice to not shake, “I’m fine. Venti mint mocha frapp and an americano.”

Lance frowned, “Dude, go. I know what an anxiety attack looks like. We’re slow enough right now. Go.”

Keith debated arguing but deflated, heading to the break room as his shaking worsened. He pulled out his phone to text Shiro for a distraction and paused. There was a few new messages from an unsaved number. Opening it with shaky fingers, Keith let out a huff of relief,

Unsaved: _Hey, so, you left me your number, well I’m hoping it’s your number.. Anyways, so this woman comes in with this kid, maybe 6 years old. And they look like they’re cooler than me (granted that’s not very hard, but still) and the mother orders just a black coffee and I start to tell her the total, buT SHE TURNS TO THE KID AND SAYS ‘what do you want honey?’ AND THIS KID GIVES ME THE DARKEST GLARE AND SAYS ‘Choc latt’ So I smile, afraid for my life here, and I’m like, “okay! One small hot chocolate coming up!” and the mom goes, ‘oh no honey (in That Voice TM, I fucking hate that voice), he wants a mocha latte.’ And thE DEMON CHILD SCREAMS IT AGAIN_

Unsaved: _90% sure I met a past version of Pidge_

Unsaved: _… don’t tell them I said that. ANYWAYS. Work is slow. What’s up with you?_

Keith smiled and saved the contact before replying,

Me: _Damn, that toddler does sound intimidating. Why do people give caffeine to children?_

L: _idk man, people are crazy_

L: _oh shit, idek ur pronouns, I shouldn’t say ‘man’_

Me: _its cool, I use he/him._

L: _cool, same._

Me: _cool_

L: _:P Brb gotta go check on my coworker, dude was having a panic attack._

Keith paused, his stomach flipping. _That.. that’s just a coincidence right?_ He looked up as Lance knocked softly on the door, pushing it open gently.

“…hey Keith? You okay, ma- Shit, what’s wrong? Do you need to go home? I can make the gremlin come in?” Lance smiled, the worry in his voice overpowering the joke and making it fall flat.

Keith stared at him for a second longer before standing, shoving his phone back in his pocket, “Y-yeah… I’m okay. Sorry about…that.”

Lance waved his hand and held the door open, “No worries dude! I have anxiety too, I know how overwhelming it can be here. Come on, let’s go make some coffee.”

The rest of the shift passed without incident. Lance took counter and let Keith work on drinks, which he was grateful for. He passed drinks back over to Lance to call out. A few times their fingers brushed, a shiver running up his hands each time. He really hoped Lance didn’t notice him blushing. Pidge finally came in to relieve him, a mischevious look on her face, “Hey Keith! Lance! Have a good morning?”

Keith shrugged noncommittedly, tensing a little as Lance slung an arm around his shoulder, “No worse than usual, Pidgeot! Keith’s a madman when it comes to getting drinks out fast.”

Keith sent a small, grateful smile towards him before ducking away to grab his bags. Maybe he could squeeze in a run before Shiro got home. He needed to get some of this anxious energy out before he broke again.

He came back out to the front, pulling his hair down without really looking at who was at the register, “I’m out, guys. Pidge, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Wait, Keith?”

He turned back and blinked. Lance held out a small cup to him, a careful smile on his face, “Black. Because you don’t know how to have fun.”

Keith smiled softly and took it, ducking his head, “Thanks...” He exited the shop, his cheeks burning. He raised the cup to his lips and paused. A bright blue sticky note sat on the lid.

_See ya around, Mullet -L_


End file.
